Can I jump in? I can't answer your question directly, but you can't really have too good of a turntable and cartridge. Blow the budget and get the best you can afford, you'll have it a long time so it's worth spending a little extra on it. Hope that helps.
Music Hall 9.3 vs 11.3 Turntable
Hi all, looking for informed opinions ,as in you have one, know them well etc , vs reading the same reviews and forum posts I have.
I have an opportunity to buy either of these at a nice deal so please don’t go down the “ you should buy” rabbit hole. Thanks
The 9.3 comes with or without a Goldring Eroica LX.
The 11.3 comes with or without a Ortofon Cadenza Black.
I am hoping this is my “ forever” table, I’m in my low sixties and not much of a gear swapper. I would use a Sutherland Phono Amp.
Here is where my thinking is at. The 9.3 would most probably be fabulous enough and i could upgrade cartridge in the future if I felt the need/ itch.
The 11.3 has a better arm, more table isolation, better motor systems… my only hesitation, beside a big jump in cost is in certain reviews the Ortofon Black sounds like it could be a tiny bit harsh and finicky to get working at its peak
Do I get the 9.3 and possibly upgrade? Get the 11.3 without cartridge and buy an Ortofon Bronze? A Hana SL or ML?
The rest of my system is Harbeth SLH5 anniversary, Benchmark Amp and Dac3 and I am happy with it. Possible ( another big decision) upgrade to Harbeth 40.3 in future.
Thanks for the well thought out and useful feedback ahead of time
z
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- 13 posts total
FWIW I had the MMF-7 years ago when it first came out. It was a decent table and got me back into vinyl. But the VPI ScoutMaster blew the doors off of the 7. How much better is the 9? I don’t know. But I really doubt it will run with the ScoutMaster. If I had to choose between the 9.3 & the 11.3, I’d go with the 11.3 mostly because of the better motor. But is it worth $2K more? I doubt it. However there is a ScoutMaster over on US Audio mart with the JMW arm which is nearly $1k cheaper and IMO a better deal. You can add the speed control from VPI if necessary. I didn’t see a need but every little bit helps. This is my opinion based on my experience. The Music halls seem over priced. But I haven’t been in the market for a while and maybe they have gotten significantly better. BTW *I have no affiliation with the SM seller. I just looked for VPI and it appeared |
Similar experience to @artemus_5. Had a MMF 7.1. Bought a pre-owned VPI Classic 2 with a Classic 3 tonearm. Different league. If you want a new table, I would also look at some of the higher end Pro-ject tables. There are many other options. The Music Hall turntables do get better as you move up the line. I went from 5.1 to 7.1 and it was a noticeable difference. |
- 13 posts total